


You and no one else

by Yleisnotonfire



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Based on a song, Cute Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Mentioned Boo Seungkwan, Mentioned Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Mentioned Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Mentioned Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Romantic Fluff, i don't know what this is, jeongcheol too, soft, the pitcture Seokmin was just so cute and I had to write this, yes soonhoon are a couple in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23813824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yleisnotonfire/pseuds/Yleisnotonfire
Summary: Joshua found himself in an awkward situation. He is giving Seokmin, his crush, guitars lessons so he can serenade to his crush.Little did he know what was going to happen on the night Seokmin was ready to confess.
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK
Comments: 8
Kudos: 133





	You and no one else

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Seokmin's photo of him and Joshua posted on weverse and the Honne song he mentioned in that "wine and cheese" live. 
> 
> [**HONNE - Day 1 (Brooklyn Session)**](https://youtu.be/VK9nA2IppGE)  
>  As always, this was edited by me so I'm sorry for any mistake!   
> Enjoy it!

Joshua is busy being desperate while working on an assignment due to tomorrow when Seokmin bursts into his room short of breath and with his brown hair dishevelled. 

“Hyung, I need your help,” Seokmin says in between pants. 

“Good afternoon to you, too. Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Joshua’s sarcasm isn’t stopped by the shock of seeing his friend suddenly appear at his house. “Why were you running?” He asks as Seokmin steps closer, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face and neck. 

“Because I needed to come here as soon as possible.” Seokmin plops on his bed, right in front of the desk his hyung is studying at. “Since, on second thoughts, what I’m about to ask could be a bad idea.”

“Why? What happened?” Joshua stands up from his chair to pour a cup of water from the jar on his bedside table. He offers the cup to Seokmin who nods to thank him. While he downs the drink, Joshua goes back to sit in front of his computer and type on his keyboard. 

“Hyung, you know how to play the guitar, right?”

Joshua doesn’t need to turn around to know that Seokmin was nervously fidgeting with the cup. “I do, why?” 

“Can you teach me?” he hesitantly asks.

At that, Joshua stops typing and turns with his chair around to look at his friend. He thought he would’ve found Seokmin ready to laugh at his confused expression and tell him he was clearly joking. However, Seokmin is sporting a serious expression, his eyes fixed in Joshua’s ones. The latter avert his gaze as his heart thumps. “J-jihoon is good with the guitar too. Why d-don’t you ask him? You also l-live in the same house.” Joshua stutters. 

“I wanted to ask him but he’s already busy with tutoring some juniors from his department and when he’s not doing that, he’s either studying or dealing with Soonyoung’s whiney ass.” Seokmin sighs. “He clearly doesn’t have time for me.” 

“So you came to ask me?” 

Seokmin vigorously nods while slightly pouting. “I’m sorry but it seems like I have to bother you.” He looks apologetic as he pleads, “Can’t you help your favourite dongsaeng? Pretty please?” 

Once again, Joshua turns to his computer and focuses on his assignment. He sighs. “When do you want to start?” 

An excited shriek is all it can be heard before a pair of arms are thrown around Joshua’s neck and Seokmin presses his cheek against Joshua’s. “We can start whenever you’re free!” 

“Tomorrow will do, then. Now, leave me alone. I have to finish this before midnight,” Joshua says in a feigned annoyed tone, pointing at the lit-up display before him. 

“You’re the best!” Seokmin tightens his hold on Joshua and even pecks his cheek. Redness creeps on the elder’s face. “Hyung, are you blushing?” 

“No, you’re suffocating me!” Joshua furiously taps on one of the younger’s forearms to encourage him on loosening is hold. 

Seokmin immediately retracts his arms, scared that he was really going to choke Joshua, his saviour. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” he then proceeds to kindly massage the black-haired boy’s neck. 

Swatting the other’s hands, Joshua says, “Go away! If you keep distracting me I will never get this paper done and I won’t be able to help you.” 

“Okay, I’ll leave!” Seokmin dashes towards the door but then stops in his tracks. “But first…” He shoots a quick look behind him before going back to kiss the top of Joshua’s head. Finally feeling content, he goes out of his hyung’s room in the same way he came in. 

Joshua’s eyes are wide open and the blush on his cheeks has now reached his ears too. 

Five minutes later, when he is sure that Seokmin has left, Joshua lifts the collar of his sweater to hide his face and murmurs, “You really can’t say no to him, uh? Joshua, you’re a weak and whipped man.”

  
  
  
  


The day after, not too much after Joshua got back home from his classes, Seokmin shows up at his hyung’s door with a guitar case on his back and a big smile plastered on his face. 

He is clearly enthusiastic about these lessons and doesn’t want to waste not even a minute. That’s why he grabs Joshua’s wrist and runs into his room, quickly greeting Mrs Hong while climbing the stairs. 

Seokmin pushes Joshua to sit on the bed and goes grabbing the other’s guitar from its stand before sitting close to him, carefully taking his own guitar out of the black case. 

“When did you buy this guitar?” Joshua leans in to study the familiar instrument into the other’s hands. 

“I didn’t buy it.” Seokmin pats the body of the guitar. “Jihoon hyung gave me his old one and told me I can keep it.”

“Did you name it, then?” 

“Of course, I did!” 

“What’s its name?” 

“Woody!” 

“As in Woody from Toy Story?” Joshua asks, looking at Seokmin with an intrigued grin. 

“Yes, I was watching the animation when Jihoon came into my room with his guitar. Right after he left, Woody said ‘Reach for the sky!’ and it made me feel so motivated that I decided to give his name to the guitar.”

Joshua couldn’t expect less from the younger. He lets out a giggle and crosses his legs to lay the body of his guitar on it. Strumming some notes, he says, “Let’s see how long this motivation lasts.” 

And with that, the first lesson finally starts. 

Joshua had to admit that he was rather impressed by the boy since in whole two of hours his focus never faltered not even once, resulting in the younger already mastering the first chords he taught. However, after that, Seokmin’s concentration gradually fell and nothing more could fit inside of his brain. 

“Hyung, can’t we stop for today?” Seokmin asks after he failed to play the right chord for the third time. “My fingers feel a little bit numb.” 

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Joshua gets up from the bed to stretch his legs and to put the guitar back on its stand. “It’s your first lesson and you’ve already learned quite a lot. I shouldn’t push you too much.” 

“I was able to do this just because my teacher is a great one.” Seokmin smiles and gives Joshua a double thumbs up. 

“Not really, you would’ve done the same if Jihoon taught you.” Joshua stays standing next to the open window, looking at the sun disappearing behind some tall buildings. After a moment spent contemplating the view in silence, he says, “Since it’s getting late, do you want to stay here for dinner?” 

Seokmin is kind of startled by the sudden request. “Are you sure? Today is Friday.” 

The question naturally pops up because Friday is the hyung’s line sacred day. 

Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Joshua were friends from a very young age. They attended the same school, same academies, same cram school.  One could say it would’ve been weird if they didn’t grow to be super close when they were spending every single day together. 

However, the time to go to university came and their joint path came to an end as they enrolled in different departments. So, to make sure not to lose each other, Friday became their day of the week. No one dared to skip their meeting unless there was a huge emergency or you were sadist enough to want to experience Jeonghan’s wrath. 

Eventually, they met new people who, with time, naturally came to form one big group of friends, hanging out together every time they could. However, even then, their friends knew that Friday was off-limits to plan a night out. 

It was the hyungs’ alone time and that’s why Seokmin is rather surprised that Joshua asked him to stay for dinner. 

Joshua’s eyes are fixed on the street, watching people leisurely walking or rushing to catch the leaving bus. “Jeonghan has an important family dinner so we’re all staying at home tonight.” The golden light creates a soft and holy aura around Joshua’s figure. The gentle spring breeze, caressing his skin, sends a shiver down his spine. He stretches the sleeves of his light blue fur-ish cardigan and turns them into sweater-paws before crossing his arms to secure its front so the chill air won’t brush his chest too and make him shiver again. He then turns around with a gentle smile. “Do you want to stay, then?” 

With his mouth slightly open, the brown-haired boy sitting on the bed shyly nods. 

“I’ll go downstairs and tell my mother, then.” Joshua crosses the room, his slippers sliding on the wooden floor and when he’s about to open the door, he stops to say, “Turn the Nintendo Switch on in the meantime. We could play a bit before dinner.” And disappears into the hallway. 

Minutes later they’re both laying on the bed, controllers in their hands and shouting all sort of things while playing Mario Kart. 

Seokmin would throw himself on Joshua every time he’d win, flailing his limbs in the air and gloating about his flawless racing performance. The elder would push him away and the other would whine about how he almost went flying with his butt on the floor. When things seemed to cool down a bit, he then would mockingly say, _“I’ll give you the chance for a rematch!”_ only to watch Joshua lose again. 

Truth is that Joshua isn’t interested at all in the game. He just needed an excuse for Seokmin to be distracted. This way, while the latter is focused on the TV screen, Joshua could watch how the other’s brown hair fell into his eyes, admire his high cheekbones and the sharp nose, the gaze would then shift on the parted rosy lips that showed the tip of his tongue sticking out from in between his teeth. 

Seokmin truly is of stunning beauty. 

“Hyung, you lost again!” Seokmin lifts one of his thick eyebrows and asks, “Are you doing this on purpose?” 

Joshua shakes his head. “I swear I’m not.”

“Then why aren’t you angry?” Seokmin scratches the top of his head in confusion. “You’re competitive and usually complain when you lose against Seungkwan or Seungcheol hyung.” 

There’s a beat of silence before Joshua says, “Maybe I don’t mind losing to you.” and giggles. 

The younger is at a loss of words and can only stare at Joshua’s face lit by the blue light coming from the screen before them. After a while, he manages to get himself together and he’s about to say something when there’s a knock on the door followed by Mrs Hong’s voice calling them for dinner. 

They both bolt up from the bed, bickering on the way downstairs for who’s going to get first into the kitchen. 

Joshua’s heart is stammering in his chest at the rhythm of Seokmin’s laugh. 

  
  


The following days are more or less the same. 

Seokmin comes at Joshua’s house right after his classes and complains about how boring they were and the number of things he has to research on for the next day’s class. 

He then focuses on playing the guitar for a couple of hours, two hours and a half if he’s gets caught into the way his chords sound better as he practices more and more. Joshua can’t help but smile at the way the younger’s eyes shine as he plucks the strings and a simple melody echoes in the room. 

When he’s too tired to continue, Seokmin convinces Joshua that it’s time for them to stop and most of the times, they end up hanging out together. 

In one week alone, they did all sort of things.  They played the Nintendo; they watched movies that Joshua knows by heart and Seokmin would first mock his hyung for watching yet again the same cringe-worthy movie and then get caught crying. If they were feeling sort of cramped in the house, they would call their friends and go out for a drink or a wild night spent at the noraebang singing their lungs out. 

Friday comes and they’ve been shut into Joshua’s room for already an hour. 

Seokmin sitting cross-legged on the floor, in the space in between the bed and the closet, guitar balanced on one of his knees. Joshua is sitting in the middle of the bed, surrounded by loads of papers, pencils and highlighters.  He is spending his time studying since he has taught all that there was to teach and the only thing left for Seokmin was to practice. The latter was indeed a quick learner and, in such a short period of time, his skills improved to the point that he is already playing some of his favourite songs. Of course, they sounded a little bit off but Joshua would always make sure to comfort him. 

“It’s the fifth time I get this part wrong.” Seokmin scratches the edge of his head and sighs. “I’m starting to think that I’ll never get past this point.” 

Joshua puts the paper he is reading down and climbs down the bed to sit next to Seokmin. “Show me how you played it.” 

The boy carefully repeats the part he got stuck at and, yet, it was off. “Why does it sounds like this?” 

“You should put your fingers like this.” Joshua fixes the position of Seokmin’s hand on the fingerboard. “Now, press harder and play it again.” 

This time, it finally sounded right and a glint of happiness flashed in Seokmin’s eyes for a second. But then, his expression falls. “I remember you teaching me this during one of the first lessons and I forgot about it. If I can’t do this much, I should give up.” 

“Don’t be like this! It’s been one week and look at you! Over a whole song, it was just one tiny part that you had trouble playing.” Joshua kindly pats Seokmin’s head. “You’re doing better than I was doing when I first took guitar classes.” 

Seokmin lights up again. “Really?” 

Joshua nods still patting the other’s head, who’s slowly leaning in the touch. “All you need is to keep practice until it feels natural.” 

“I’ll practice like crazy at home too, then. The sooner I’ll improve, the better.” And with that said, he dives once again into practising. 

Joshua shakes his head while a fond smile tugs at his lips. He goes back to sit on his bed and tries to go back on studying but he finds his gaze shifting on Seokmin more than he would like to admit, making it impossible for him to focus on the sheet he’s holding in front of his face. 

Watching Seokmin burn with determination, wanting his skills to quickly improve, Joshua can’t help but wonder the reason why. 

Thinking of when the younger barged in his room asking for lessons, Joshua has to admit that it was a bit out of the blue. But Seokmin’s passion for music is well-known among his friends. Not a day would pass without him singing one’s ears off or talk about the music club he’s going to enrol in. It wouldn’t be that weird if he wants to learn how to play the guitar for a smoother audition for the club. 

However, he’s enrolling next year since he was too late for this year’s last audition. So why he’s so eager when he has a lot of time in his hands? 

“Seok, can I ask you a question?” Joshua raises the question after pondering for a while whether to ask or not. When Seokmin stops playing to look at him and nods, he continues, “Why do you want to play the guitar?” 

Pupils shaking as if he had been caught red-handed in some sort of crime, Seokmin breaks into a cold sweat as he answers. “Uhm...well...it’s because of…” He whispers the last part of the sentence so quietly that Joshua can’t catch it at all. 

“Because of?” 

“Because of my crush,” He repeats in one breath, leaving no space in between his words. 

Joshua chokes on air at the sudden revelation. “You have a crush?!” He is genuinely surprised as never the younger had mentioned about a person he likes. Truth be told, they haven’t really discussed the love topic since the day they met but Joshua isn’t the type to pry into this kind of stuff and believed that if the younger ever had a love interest, he would’ve told him since they have no secret between each other. Well...maybe just one. 

“You didn’t know?” 

“Should’ve I known?” 

“When I told Jeonghan hyung about my crush I was sure he was going to…” Seokmin trails off and looks at nowhere in particular, murmuring “Maybe he was just teasing me when he said he’d tell you.” 

“So Jeonghan knows…” 

Seokmin nods and then ducks his head, fidgeting with the pick in his hands.

“Okay...I understand.” A hint of bitterness can be heard in his words. “And why it’s because of your crush?” 

“I want to confess with a serenade.” 

“A serenade?! How did you get this idea?” 

_ ╰☆☆ _

Fate wanted that both Jeonghan and Seokmin had a break from their lessons at the same time on that day. 

Since all of their friends had lectures to attend and couldn’t hang out, the two of them decided to go at one of the cafès in the university area to enjoy their spare time. 

They were quietly sipping on their coffees when Jeonghan dropped the bomb. 

“Seokmin, how’s your love life?” 

Seokmin almost choked on his ice americano and coughed a couple of times before he answered, “Why the sudden question?” 

The silver-haired boy in front of him shrugged before laying his chin on his hand, a smirk tugging at the left corner of his lips. “Just curious as I never had the chance to ask you.” 

“Well…” Seokmin looked around, probably to make sure there was no one he knew. In a hushed tone, he said, “There is someone I like...I had a crush on them for quite a while now.” 

“You must like them a lot since your cheeks are turning red just by mentioning them.” Jeonghan giggled while poking the other’s cheeks with his index finger. “From the way you’re talking, I assume that you didn’t confess yet. Why?” 

“Because I’m afraid they don’t feel the same about me.” Seokmin averted his gaze to stare into space. 

Jeonghan tapped his finger on the table to grab, once again, Seokmin’s attention. “If you don’t confess, how can you possibly find out if they like you or not? Man-up and tell them how you feel! If this is not a one-sided crush, then good for you! If they reject you, at least you’ve tried and eventually, you’ll move on.” 

Seokmin considered his hyungs words as they made sense. Being stuck like this with nothing but a crush could be dangerous. What if someone came into his crush’s life and took them away before he could even confess? He would be left with nothing but a broken heart and the regret of not trying. This made him come to the conclusion that dealing with a ‘why did I do it?’ sounded ten times better than dealing with a ‘what if I did it?’

Taking the last sip from his mug, Seokmin decided to ask Jeonghan for some advice. “It the first time confessing my feelings to someone. How should I do it?” 

Something Seokmin couldn’t pinpoint flashed in Jeonghan’s eyes. “What about a serenade?” 

“A serenade? Isn’t it too old-fashioned?” 

“It is not. If done properly, a serenade is always the most romantic and beautiful way to profess your undying love.” Jeonghan took his phone out and searched for images related to the word ‘serenade’. He then showed Seokmin the picture of a boy playing the guitar for a girl. “Like this, it would be perfect.” 

“But I can’t play the guitar!” 

“You can ask Jihoon or Joshua to teach you. I’m sure they will be more than happy to help you!” An evil smirk appeared on Jeonghan’s face at the mention of Joshua’s name. 

“I’ll think about it…” Seokmin glanced at the clock hung on one of the walls of the cafè. “Our classes will start soon, hyung. It’s better if we get going.” 

Without another word spoken, they both got up to grab their belonging and walked towards the exit. Seokmin was holding the door open for Jeonghan when the latter, without even looking at the other, asked. “Now. tell me. Who’s your crush?” 

_ ☆☆╮ _

  
  


Joshua is at his fourth shot after merely half an hour of him and Jeonghan sitting at a table in their favourite pub. His foot is furiously tapping on the floor and he’s about to order the fifth shot when Jeonghan stops him, afraid his friend could feel sick from drinking too much and too fast. 

Without Seungcheol around, Joshua knows it’s a risk to get drunk because Jeonghan would either leave him laying on the floor in case he passes out or take pictures to send on their group chat. However, no matter how much he wanted to stop, he couldn’t. A voice in his head telling him to keep going to forget what Seokmin told him that afternoon. 

“Joshuji, what’s bothering you?” Jeonghan asks after cancelling Joshua’s order and sending the waiter away. 

“Nothing.” Joshua examines the empty shot glass in his hand and puts it on the table with a light thud, disappointed in himself for not saving even a drop of alcohol. 

“The way you’ve been drinking says otherwise.” There aren’t too many people in here so Jeonghan doesn’t have to shout to be heard. He takes a sip of his beer and asks again, “What’s going on in that mind of yours?” 

Be it for the alcohol or the frustration, Joshua doesn’t even try to keep denying and lets his mouth go loose. “Why didn’t you tell me that Seokmin has a crush?” 

Jeonghan’s worried face morphs into a smug-ish one, as if he just got the confirmation he needed. “Why should’ve I done that?” 

“Don’t answer me with another question!” Joshua complains. 

“I know the answer to your question so I need to know the answer to mine. So why should I give you an answer that could be pretty obvious if you thought about it when I can find out something I don’t know?” 

“Stop taking advantage of the fact that I’m tipsy to say shit to confuse me.” Joshua points at Jeonghan. “Also, stop pretending you don’t know I asked because I like Seokmin.” He spats the words, clearly annoyed at Jeonghan playing games with him. However, once he realises that the tone of his voice might’ve been a tad bit too high and people around them could’ve heard him, he covers his mouth with both of his hands. 

“I know. It’s just so funny to tease you when you’re drunk!” He giggles and takes another sip of his drink. “So, he finally told you.” 

“That he has a crush? Yes, he did. He also said that you were the one advising him to do a serenade to confess!” Joshua’s frustration is reaching his peak and Jeonghan has to put his hand on his friend’s forearm, rubbing circles on it with his thumb in an attempt to calm him down. “How could you do that when you know I like him? Why are you pushing him in someone else’s arms?” 

Despite the situation looking this messed up, Jeonghan looks amused, sporting a knowing smile as he says, “Seokmin having a crush was bound to happen someday. We could’ve never stopped this from happening.” 

“But this doesn’t mean that you have to help him when you know that your best friend has a crush on him!” 

“You’re right, but I couldn’t tell him to keep his crush hidden and do nothing about it either. I don’t want him to end up like my best friend who can’t grow a pair and confess!” With a gesture of his hand, Jeonghan almost knocks off his glass of beer. “It’s cruel to say this but he owes you nothing. He doesn’t know you like him as you never told him. You can’t expect him to read your mind and then hope for him to say he feels the same about you.”

Joshua scoffs in a mix of bitterness and disbelief. “He will never know anyway. I can’t tell him now that I know for sure that he has a crush. I am too fucking late.” 

“Serves you right...hope you’ve learnt your lesson.” Jeonghan pats his friend’s forearm. “Oh, right. Don’t stop giving him guitars lessons because of this, okay? Take advantage of the situation to spend more time with him before he makes that person his.” His lips stretch into another evil and naughty smile. 

There’s something Jeonghan is clearly not saying but Joshua’s head is too dizzy at the moment to stop and dwell on it. Instead, he gets up and announces, “I’m going to the bathroom.” 

Not even two steps later, Jeonghan calls after him and says, “I’m serious, Joshuji. Don’t push him away now that he needs you or you might regret it later.” 

  
  


That weekend, Seokmin ended up practising in his own apartment with Jihoon’s supervision. 

Joshua told the younger he was going to be busy but the truth is that he had to mentally recover from the blow of Seokmin having a crush. If he wanted to keep on helping Seokmin, he had to get himself together and, as Jeonghan said, enjoy these few days left of being in the younger’s company. 

Yes, Joshua really thinks it’s a matter of days before Seokmin finds the right song for his serenade, learns it and goes into action. Deep in his heart, Joshua wishes for the other to pick a very difficult song, allowing them to spend some more time together but he also knows that, when it comes to love, time cannot be wasted like that. Every second is precious and can bring you closer or farther from the person you like. 

Seokmin seems to know that too since, when Monday comes, the first thing he does as soon as he walks in Joshua’s house is waving a music sheet around. 

“What are you so excited about?” Joshua asks while watching Seokmin skipping to his room. 

“Hyung, I found it!” He beams, his smile going from one ear to the other. “I found the song I want to play for my crush.”

Joshua can’t help but feel jealousy creeping in his heart. Seeing Seokmin this ecstatic makes him wish he could be the one on the receiving end of the serenade. But, unfortunately, this is a daydream that cannot come true. “Really?” He asks as he throws himself on the bed face first. 

Seokmin follows right after and throws his entire body on top of Joshua’s, who lets out an _‘ouch’_. “Yes. I brought the sheet with me to practice and I want to, no, I must learn it by Friday. Do you think I can do it?”

“Let me see…” Joshua takes the paper from Seokmin’s hands and reads the title out loud. “ _ Day 1 _ ...I don’t know this song but judging by the score, it shouldn’t be too difficult.” He then notices that there are no lyrics written in correspondence to the notes. “Is it an instrumental song?” 

Seokmin takes the paper back and rolls on the side so he can look at Joshua’s face. “No, but I’m still not confident about singing it. For now, I think it’s better if I concentrate on playing it.” His cheeks are coloured with a light pink tint. “So, do you think I can do it by Friday?” 

Joshua gets lost for a while in Seokmin’s shiny eyes. He seriously considered for a while whether to lie or not to his friend.  If he lied, they could push the confession agenda and everything won’t end in just five days. However, if Seokmin set a date for this, it means that he can’t go past it or something might happen. 

The thought of him missing the opportunity to be happy and maybe lose the person he likes makes Joshua snap out of it. But if he has to tell the truth, what could be a good excuse to stay longer with him? 

“You can do it, but…” Joshua trails off, desperately trying to think about something. 

“But?” Seokmin urges. 

An idea crosses the elder’s mind and he immediately spits it out, afraid that he may back out if he dwelled too much on it. “We have to practice more. Two hours a day won’t be enough.” 

“Practice more?” 

“Yes.” Joshua nods. “We can meet at Jihoon’s faculty since it’s halfway between your faculty and mine. We’ll use his studio so you can borrow his guitar and practice. Are you okay with that?” 

Seokmin thinks about it and the silence is slowly making Joshua regret suggesting this idea. The younger’s crush may be from his own faculty and meeting at lunch could mean less time for him to spend with that person. However, Seokmin breaks into a small smile and says, “Sounds great to me! The acoustic in there is even better than the one in your room.” He jokes. 

“Duh! It’s a studio. It is made to have a great acoustic, unlike my bedroom.” Joshua slaps the younger’s shoulder who winces in pain. “Now, stop lazing around and take Woody. You have no time to waste.” 

  
  


Starting from the very next day, Seokmin and Joshua spent their lunch breaks in Jihoon’s studio. 

On the first day, Jihoon made quite a fuss about them barging in his studio without really giving him a heads up. However, he calmed down the moment Joshua shoved in his arms a bag with his lunch. Despite the fact that he kept muttering curses under his breath, Jihoon stayed with them in the studio, munching on his food and making sure they didn’t break any of the school equipment. 

The next day, since Jihoon had to work on a project for his class, they couldn’t use his studio so he led them to the music room and Soonyoung was there too. He had been sitting on a chair with his phone in his hand the whole time. Sometimes his gaze would shift on the two boys and then go back to his phone, typing something while evilly giggling. 

When the break ended and they went back to their lectures, Joshua’s schedule has been so hectic that it was only when Seokmin left after his evening practice that he got to check his phone. Their group chat had tons of unread messages and the name got changed into ‘Which k-drama is that?’ Confused he opened it and mindlessly read through the first messages, not really focusing on them. 

His thumb stopped scrolling when he saw a picture of him and Seokmin. They were sitting on the long white table inside the music room. Joshua was casually dressed in a grey-cyan t-shirt and a pair of olive green trousers. It was a neat contrast to the whiteness of Seokmin’s clothes, disrupted only by a few burgundy and navy stripes on the edges of his cardigan. With his mouth half-opened and hands resting on his lap, Joshua was focused on Seokmin’s fingers plucking the strings. However, to do this, he totally had missed the little smile tugging at the brown-haired boy’s lips. 

Luckily for him, Soonyoung captured it well in the photo. Joshua was once again stunned by the other’s sharp yet delicate features; his innocent aura, reflecting the pureness of his soul; his overall handsomeness and softness. The picture made the black-haired boy feel a tornado of indescribable feelings that instead of leaving chaos behind it, it left a sense of warmness that made him smile like a lovesick puppy. Ignoring the rest of the messages in the group as they were all from their friends teasing them, he happily set the photo as lock screen on his phone. 

That probably wasn’t a smart move, though. 

On Thursday evening, Seokmin is gathering his things as he’s about to leave after their last practice together. 

A notification bell echoes in the room and the screen of Joshua’s phone lights up. Their gazes instinctively move towards the source of the sound. When Joshua remembers about his lock screen, well, it’s too late to hide it. 

“Wha-” Seokmin grabs the phone from the desk and taps twice on the screen to light it up again. “It’s our photo from yesterday.” 

Joshua feels like his heart stopped beating and droplets of sweat are streaming down his face. Pupils shaking, he feels like a deer caught in the headlights. He has to find a way to explain why the pic is there without disclosing his crush on the younger. If that happens, he’s sure there’s going to be a huge scene followed by Seokmin walking out of his room and, probably, his life for good. 

“Did you like it this much?” Wiggling his eyebrows, Seokmin jokes. 

“Well…” Joshua forces a laugh before saying, “It was not my doing, obviously.” He scoffs. “Jeonghan took my phone this morning and set it as my lock screen picture.” Joshua snatches the phone from the younger’s hands and hides it behind his back. “I totally forgot to set it back to the default one.” Another fake laugh. 

Something that resembles disappointment flashes for a second in Seokmin’s eyes. Joshua believes to have imagined it and gets distracted by the boy standing in front of him who goes back to joking. “For a moment, I really flattered myself thinking I was your favourite dongsaeng. I was ready to text Soonyoung and Seungkwan to tell them that you finally admitted who among us is your favourite.” He grabs his guitar and throws his backpack on his shoulder, ready to leave. “Time for me to get going, then.” 

“We won’t see each other tomorrow, right?” Joshua asks, almost reaching for the other’s wrist as he doesn’t want Seokmin to go. 

“We won’t. I have to get everything ready so I’ll just skip classes. But I’ll keep you updated, hyung, don’t worry.” 

“Good luck, then,” Joshua says in a hushed tone. 

“Thank you, hyung. For all you’ve done for me. Without your help, it would’ve been impossible to do this. You’ve been such a great and patient teacher and I owe you a lot.” Seokmin takes Joshua in his arms and squeezes him in a hug. “Thank you so much,” he whispers in the elder’s ear. 

Seokmin opens the door and is walking away when, in a wave of courage and with a now-or-never mentality, Joshua steps out in the hallway and says, “Seokmin-ah!” The boy stops in his tracks and turns around to look at the person who just called him out. “Just so you know, you are my favourite one. Among the three of you...I’ll always choose you.” 

Joshua fondly smiles and so does Seokmin. 

  
  
  
  


Laying flat on his bed and with sad music blasting from his earphones, Joshua is inside of his dimly lit room. Seungcheol told him thirty minutes ago that he was already on his way to pick him up but there has been no sign of him after his last text. 

There could be traffic? Probably.    
Jeonghan threatened him so he could be fetched first? Even more possible.    
Seungcheol was lying and got just now into his shower? That’s almost for sure. 

Joshua takes his phone to send yet another text in their group chat when Seokmin’s name appears on the screen along with a message. 

‘I’m on my way to my crush’s house and I’m so nervous. Hoping not to mess this up’, it read. Seokmin has been sending keyboard smash’s texts from the moment he opened his eyes, as well as ones saying that he wasn’t sure anymore if it was the right thing to do. And since this morning, Joshua has been telling him things like _‘fighting’_ and _‘you can do it’_ without really meaning them. 

It’s not like he doesn’t want Seokmin to be happy with his crush but it hurts having to witness him having the butterfly in his stomach, smiling in such a loving way, his cheeks reddening and his heart fluttering all because of someone else. However, he can’t blame the younger for this. He doesn’t know that his hyung is pining after him since the first night they met. 

One year had already gone by since Jihoon told them he got a new roommate, a bright kid who had just enrolled in their university. As he was a newbie and none of his friends had chosen the same faculty as him, he knew no one in the area. Jihoon, feeling kind of sad for the boy, decided to throw a mini welcome party for him in their room and invite his own group of friends so Jihoon could introduce them to him. 

That night, Joshua, Soonyoung, Jeonghan and Seungcheol all met Seokmin. Between a bite of food and a toast with beer, Seokmin immediately clicked with all of them. Actually, the tension in the room caused by the awkwardness of a first meeting died the moment Soonyoung walked inside the dorm with his pyjamas on, stating that he was going to crash at their place anyway so he’d better come prepared. 

And, in fact, they all crashed in the dorm since they had too much alcohol to drive back home, plus, Jeonghan was insisting on watching a movie. 

After some commotion about what genre they should pick, Soonyoung suggested watching a horror movie. Joshua could see that Seokmin wasn’t too convinced by it but he complied anyway because the majority agreed on it. Luckily, with Soonyoung in the same room as them, the movie wasn’t too scary as it should’ve been. The blonde guy did nothing but screaming no-sense things, telling the actors not to do this or that, judging their actions and saying that he would’ve done a better job. Sometimes, he would take advantage of a tense moment to throw himself on Jihoon, pretending to be too scared to watch. 

When half of them was starting to fall asleep, they decided to turn off the tv and go to sleep.

Soonyoung went with Jihoon in the latter’s room, meanwhile, the three hyungs insisted on sleeping in the living room: Seungcheol and Jeonghan on one couch, Joshua on the other one. Despite saying it was okay to sleep alone, Seokmin was clearly not okay. He was clutching his own shirt and was hesitant to go inside his room. 

In fact, not long after, Joshua woke up to the sounds of someone opening the fridge and of water being poured. He got up and walked to the kitchen only to find a trembling Seokmin who didn’t even notice that another person was in the room with him. When he turned around and found Joshua standing there, he got so scared that he literally threw the empty glass in the air. Thankfully, it was a paper one so no mess happened when it fell on the floor. Seokmin looked like he was ready to kill Joshua on the spot due to the scare and the latter couldn’t help but giggle at him. 

At that point, Seokmin could only admit that he was too scared to sleep alone but he wasn’t familiar with any of the other boys so he couldn’t ask one of them to sleep with him. 

The way the younger spoke and his overall adorableness were tugging at Joshua’s heartstring, making him feel all giddy, making him want to take care of Seokmin. That’s why he boldly told his new dongsaeng he had no problem with sleeping with him and without even waiting for a reply, he took his pillow and went into the room. Seokmin followed him, skipping in his steps as a knight in shining armour was ready to keep him safe from the monsters that could appear during the night. 

However, sleep never came for neither of them. 

They spent the entire night talking about any random topic that came into their minds: from their childhood to their most recent embarrassing story; from their favourite food to the worst anime they watched; from the song they wished to make as their life’s OST to their best friend. 

As they went through banters, serious talks and a random showcase of hidden talents, the night turned into day and Joshua’s life also turned brighter than it had ever been. 

In the span of a few hours, Seokmin had become the sunshine warming his heart up, making him want to bask in his rays for as long as he could. 

From that day on, Seokmin and Joshua got closer and closer with each passing day and it didn’t take too long before Joshua realised this friendship was turning, at least for him, into something more complicated. 

His phone screen lights up once again. ‘I’m almost there, can you wish me good luck?’ 

In this kind of situation too, with his heart aching and teary eyes, Joshua can’t say no to Seokmin and wishes him good luck with a couple of four-leaves clover emojis. 

Thinking that he wouldn’t hear from the boy for a while, at least until the latter got back home, Joshua tosses the phone on the side and checks the clock on the wall. Almost an hour has gone since Seungcheol was _'on the way’_. He should’ve been already here, wait, no. Joshua should’ve been already at the pub, downing the third shot of vodka to forget about Seokmin for the rest of the night. 

A  _ ping  _ sound echoes in his earphones. Joshua lifts his head enough to see if the name on the display was Seungcheol’s. Contrary to his thinking, it is Seokmin again. ‘Hyung, can you do me a favour? Can you open your window?’ 

Saying that Joshua is confused is an understatement. ‘Why should I?’ While typing, he is thinking all kind of scenarios, from the fact that maybe the other’s crush lives in this area too to the fact that he’s just messing with his head. Because why would he be here if he had a serenade to do? 

‘Just do as I say and open the window. I need you to check on something.’ 

Eventually, Joshua complies. Throwing his earphones on the bed, he stands up from his bed and slowly walks to the window, still unsure about why he has to. He does as he’s told and quickly opens the window which makes a loud screeching sound. 

Joshua takes his phone again and he is about to reply Seokmin when, in his backyard, he spots the boy wearing the light grey turtleneck Joshua loved seeing on him. He is sitting on the garden swinging sofa, fairy-lights shining over the crown of his head, his brown hair falling into his eyes. A guitar is resting on his legs and a huge yet nervous smile is plastered on his face. 

When Seokmin notices Joshua standing agape at the window, he says, “this one is for you” and warms his throat up before his fingers dance on the strings. The melody, too, dances in the air, going up to reach Joshua’s ears and heart. Having listened to Seokmin practising this song over and over again, the elder knew this instrumental version by heart. He remembers how he felt a pang of jealousy the first time he heard it. It sounded like such a romantic song. Even though Joshua had been so curious about its lyrics, he never looked them up, thinking that if Seokmin wanted him to know, he would’ve brought the complete sheet when he first showed the elder he had found the perfect song for his serenade. 

Joshua is immensely thankful to himself that he resisted the temptation and didn’t read the lyrics or else it would’ve spoiled the whole surprise and the wave of feelings crashing on him as he listens to Seokmin singing along the music of his heartstrings. 

_**You'll always be my day one** _

_**Day zero when I was no one** _

_**I'm nothing by myself, you and no one else** _

_**Thankful you're my day one** _

_**I got lucky finding you** _

_**I won big the day that I came across you** _

_**'Cause when you're with me, I don't feel blue** _

_**Not a day goes by that I would not redo** _

_**Everybody wants to love** _

_**It's easy when you try hard enough** _

_**You'll always be my day one** _

_**Day zero when I was no one** _

_**I'm nothing by myself, you and no one else** _

_**Thankful you're my day one** _

_**When I first met you, it just felt right** _

_**It's like I met a copy of myself that night** _

_**No, I don't believe in fate as such** _

_**But we were meant to be together that's my hunch** _

_**Everybody wants true love** _

_**It's out there if you look hard enough,** _

_**You'll always be my day one** _

_**Day zero when I was no one** _

_**I'm nothing by myself, you and no one else** _

_**Thankful you're my day one** _

_**Hour by hour, minute by minute** _

_**I got mad love for you and I know it** _

_**I would never leave you on your own** _

_**I just want you to know** _

_**You'll always be my day one** _

_**Day zero when I was no one** _

_**I'm nothing by myself, you and no one else** _

_**Thankful you're my day one** _

Seokmin stops playing and he’s so afraid of the expression Joshua could have on his face that he doesn’t dare to look up at the window. 

However, way before the end of the song, Joshua was already rushing to the backyard with teary eyes and a heart that was threatening to explode. 

Seokmin had indeed found the right song. 

Hearing someone’s heavily breathing next to him and seeing a pair of shoes with the corner of his eyes, Seokmin gets up from the swinging sofa and lays the guitar on it. Joshua is standing there, looking at Seokmin with tears threatening to fall and not speaking a word. Seokmin starts fidgeting, waiting for the elder to say something. 

“What does this mean?” Joshua breaks the silence and the tension in the air rises. 

Seokmin kind of expected this question but it caught him off guard anyways. “This was the serenade for my crush, for the person I liked since the night I met them.” Mustering up some courage, he takes Joshua’s hands in his and continues with his confession. “When I moved and became Jihoon’s roommate, I never thought of it as a big life-changing event. It was supposed to happen since I needed to be closer to our university. However, I was wrong. That night my life  _ did _ change. Although you scared the life out of me, you had me the moment you walked into that kitchen, looking soft with your dishevelled hair and sweater paws, nose scrunching up when you giggled. I felt like my heart got exposed to the sun and was quickly melting. From that day on, every time I was with you, I felt like I could never be sad again since you were there, smiling at me. Every minute I spent with you, I felt like I was falling deeper and deeper in love with you. For this reason and a lot more, you’ll always be  _ my _ day one, the day I started living for real.” Seokmin takes a step closer, leaving a few inches in between their bodies. “Joshua, I like you and you would make me the happiest person in the world if today could be  _ our _ day one.” 

Once again, they fall into another moment of silence which makes Seokmin nervous as he cannot read at all the look on the other’s face. Was he angry? Was he disappointed? Was he going to pretend that nothing had happened? Seokmin couldn’t know. 

“Do you remember the picture on my lock screen and how I told you that it was Jeonghan’s doing?” Joshua asks. 

Taken aback by the sudden change of topic, Seokmin’s pupils frantically shake as he says to himself ‘He’s going to reject me. I should’ve listened to my instinct and not confess.’ He lets go of the elder’s hands and takes a step back as he speaks. “Yes, what about it?” 

“It was a lie. It wasn’t Jeonghan...it was me.” He grabs Seokmin’s hands and gives them a light squeeze. “I couldn’t say a word a while ago because I was so overwhelmed by these feelings that I didn’t know what to do, where to start to say that, me too, I’ve fallen for you on that very night at Jihoon’s house. From that moment on, all I could think of was you and I guess I wasn’t even able to hide it since all our friends noticed the way I would light up when you entered in the room we were in. It was as if you were the sun and I was your sunflower, as if I could see only you and no one else. For this reason and a lot more, you’ve always been my day one.” Joshua closes the gap between them. “Seokmin, I like you and I want to make you the happiest person in the world. So, yes, today is  _ our _ day one.” 

Without giving time to Seokmin to process what is happening, Joshua takes Seokmin’s face in his hands and kisses him. 

It’s just them pressing their lips together as Seokmin still hasn’t recovered from the shock and when they part, the latter says, “Now I understand why Jeonghan told me to man-up and confess.” 

“And why he told me not to stop our guitar lessons,” Joshua adds and giggles. “Or why Seungcheol was so late tonight.” 

“But we will thank them later.”

And so they dive into another kiss. 

Holding each other under the night sky, the flickery fairy-lights looking like fireflies dancing around them, they break into a smile as they kiss, happy that this is going to be their forever day one.

**Author's Note:**

> And that was it!   
> Another attempt of mine at writing something that's not angst and this time it felt quite good to step out of my "comfort zone" for something softer. It's not tooth-rotting fluff, it hasn't a lot of fluff either but it's a start, am I right? hahaha  
> What's funny is that this story was supposed to be a short one, around 1k words. However, the more I was thinking about it, the more I felt like adding scenes and dialogues, ending up with a story of 8k words. I think this is the longest one-shot I have written in years. I'm shooketh about the effects of soft Seoksoo on me lol
> 
> Enough about that, though.   
> I hope you enjoyed this "behind the story" of Seoksoo's picture and I hope to see you with the next chapter of Still Lonely (of course, if you're reading it) or with my next short story!   
> You can leave kudos and comments to let me know if you liked it and thank you because you spent time reading this.   
> I love you all! See you soon!!!


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